What do you think of the iOS 7 homescreen? [Poll]

We got some great feedback from everyone on yesterday's poll on the overall looks of iOS 7, but today we're going to dive a little deeper; the homescreen. One of the most immediately noticeable changes from iOS 6, the iOS 7 homescreen is a point of massive debate. Some love it, others hate it, and a good chunk of folks sit somewhere in the middle undecided. So today, we want to know; what do you think of the iOS 7 homescreen?

The colors are different, the icons are different, and for some it doesn't matter what fancy design techniques went into it, they just don't like it. On the other hand, some people are really digging it. iOS has had the same underlying appearance since the introduction of the very first iPhone back in 2007. Less than a year after Jony Ive was handed the design reigns, what we saw announced on Monday was quite, quite different. So, what do you think about it? We want to hear your thoughts on the new homescreen, so drop a vote up top and jump into the comments with your thoughts!

Well, I love it, but I don't know that I'd say it's the best looking interface ever. I could say it's good, but I think it's better than good and I don't think all change is good. I think the best way to avoid people saying they don't have an option for them is to keep it simple. In this case, removal of the commas and phrases after said commas and I would have been able to choose the first option without question.

I actually would also like a slightly wider screen. Not because the current screen doesn't look good, but because I would like just a little more room for the keyboard and spacing of the keys. I don't want a honking huge screen like the Note or anything, just something that is a bit wider. The height of the iPhone 5 is perfect.

I am in love with the iOS 7!! I hope Apple has some more surprises for us this fall..like a iPhone 6! I just feel like with such drastic changes to the iOS, I find it hard to believe that apple would just release a "S" series rather than some new hardware to support the launch of the iOS 7! Wishful thinking...I know ;-)

I tried iOS 7 for 24 hours and I'm now back on iOS 6.1.4.
I loved the new functionality, but I abhor the thinned fonts, that have no drop shadow whatsoever, so any bright wallpapers merge with the text.
Some of the icons are woeful top, like Notes, Safari, and Reminders.

I agree 100% I found myself missing the depth of 6.1.3. I tried a Motorola Razr HD last fall and the look/feel was very much like that, which made me miss what iOS is today. Hopefully Apple will tighten up the GUI...as of now, it's too flat for my taste

I'm excited about it! Can't wait to get it this fall. I'm sure there may be a thing or two I don't care for, but I'm very disappointed by some of the reactions of many tech writers. I think you guys are harder to please than anyone.

HAHA, I think I saw a story the other day about Android having an app or hack that makes Droid phones mimic the look of iOS 7. Would that be considered panicking? If I can ever find the article I will post a link.

Na, Droid-Life & Apple Insider take the cake on that 1.....I find this site & Android Central to be a bit more level headed (with obvious favoritism towards their OS of choice, but also seeing positives from other OSs & flaws in their own). Don't know why I responded bc you've been posting non-stop negative B.S. for a little while now........

I think it looks new and more modern, but I really don't much care one way or the other. For one, even tho some of the colors are different and some of the icons are redesigned, the layout is unchanged. Second, does anybody actually sit around looking at the icons? Or the home screens? When I grab my device I quickly tap the icon of the app I'm going to use, and upon opening I get to doing what needs doing. So that's where I want to see things improve. User experience, usability, help my accomplish what needs doing in the best and simplest ways. That's where it's at for me.

A bunch of care and concern about the look of the home screen icons? Woopty-skit! Unimportant.

Keeping in mind that what was previewed is just the first beta version, and there is still a chance that Apple may add, remove, and improve upon things, like the icons, drop shadow for the new font, etc. What was previewed at WWDC is not the final version by any means, just the beginning, Just something to keep in mind and perspective.

It's aight. I don't think it is mindbogglingly amazing but it's ok. Looks kind of cheap in a way, I rather liked the old glossy icons. Putting Jony Ive as the head of iOS 7 was a bad move, if I wanted a cheap glossy cover up of iOS I'd have jailbroken and gone with Winterboard. The OS still lacks in features. The lock screen is still equally boring, with no way to place current news headlines or twitter/facebook feeds on the lock screen. The Notification center has not been made better at all only better organized. I'm sure the delete all or none "x" is still there with no way to delete individual notifications. There is still no customization whatsoever to the home screen I would have appreciated if Apple let go of the 4 rows of 4 icons or 5 rows on iPhone 5 and let the user customize the layout of apps. There is still almost no integration with other 3rd party apps of the core iOS apps (notes, contacts, messages, phone, etc.). iOS 7 is an attempt to candy coat something that just isn't great anymore. Jony Ive & the iOS 7 team = FAIL

Android is still ripping iOS a new one and as an iPhone fan I'd hate to say that if more features aren't added from now until Fall release I'm switching to the far superior Galaxy S4. Apple likes to overcharge for something that just isn't the best anymore, not even close to it. The Galaxy S4, HTC One, AND even the Sony Xperia Z are better, more powerful phones than any iPhone. I find it shocking that Android users have been able to have their quick settings and toggles on their notification center for years now and the iPhone JUST NOW gets it and somehow Jony Ive and Tim Cook are acting as if iOS 7 is a groundbreaking step forward for mobile OS. High-end android phones have had NFC for over a year now maybe more (I'm using the GS3 as my landmark phone here for this argument) and yet NFC is nowhere to be found on iPhone. Obviously NFC is more than just a gimmick. Apple is STILL forcing their useless crap down our throats. iPhones don't have the carrier bloatware that android phones have but newsstand is worse than that. And there was no mention of being able to hide this useless piece of crap.

Honetly apple wake the hell up or at least make some kind of an effort to please your customers. You guys are taking a nosedive and fast! Apple is nothing more than a "hip" name now. Gloss and shine with no substance.

How does that "out me as a poor thinker" and how is it contradictory? I merely stated that I like the iPhone but iOS has gotten stale and Apple's sugar coated refreshment to it does not appeal to me. I prefer substance over gloss. Android has substance, and given the pattern of the last 2 years, where iOS gets a feature that Android had already, about 1 year too late, I can only imagine what Google's platform will unveil with Key Lime Pie. Apple is still the leading innovator in desktop computing but in mobile OS it's been lagging behind for quite some time. AirDrop is their attempt to recreate S Beam, Control or Command Center whatever they're calling it is something that should have been available since iOS 5. Come on man wake up, stop being so singular and look at the big picture. Apple is no longer the mobile tech zenith it once was when Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone. As is the case with many things throughout history, someone invented and others surpassed, this being the case with Apple's original iPhone launching a mobile phone revolution, and around late 2011 Android beginning to innovate a lot more than Apple.

Think of it, you can't truly multitask on anything other than a Samsung phone at the moment, that double-tap home button BS isn't multitasking. It is using one app at a time and switching between others that were previously opened.

As for my comment that you quoted in order to disprove me and make me look like a fool, it is the truth. The USA is the ONLY market Apple still has a stranglehold over. Every other market is dominated by Android, and I'm only talking high-end smartphones here. In terms of desktop computing no one can touch Apple, no one brand sells even close to as many laptops as Apple sells Macbooks. But in smartphones, Apple doesn't differentiate whether or not all the iPhones sold were mostly 5's or if they were an even distribution of 5's 4S and 4's so the number does not tell the actual truth in sales. Samsung is closing the gap in the USA and dominate every other major market.

I'm sorry I really am. I wish Apple would innovate, instead of cover up flaws with cheap make up but this is the reality of it. Will Apple go down? No way, this will probably never happen, nor would I want it to. But ultimately, FOR ME, it's about substance, features, customization, and versatility.

Apple LETS you buy THEIR phone and use it THEIR way, the way I see it you never really own an iPhone you just borrow it from Tim Cook for an undisclosed period of time. Think about what happens to you if you try to add some level of customization by jailbreaking, Apple won't even look at your phone is it's jailbroken. Because you've dared to tinker with THEIR phone.

Google and the various manufacturers that use Android on the hardware SELL you A PHONE and let you make it YOUR OWN. Customization has become key for me as of late, it isn't important to everyone, but it is to me. And this is what I think you fail to understand that this is my opinion and my list of needs not an imposition of truth to the general iPhone using public.

I'm just curious: If you feel another phone and platform are 'far superior" and Apple is nothing more than a "hip" name, why would you wait? If I was you, I'd go ahead and jump ship.

As for NFC, and in the USA, I think you're not missing anything so far. Even when I was living in Asia, NFC is far less used than most Westerners seem to believe. So, even if NFC was in the iPhone, what would you do with it? What do you do with NFC in your Galaxy S3?

The changes on the "grey" icons (basically all the system and hardware feature apps), bother me a lot. Camera, Settings, etc. have all been changed because of this silly dogma that anything that has a 3D look or a "real" look to is is "bad," but I always found those icons to be the best of all.

They weren't jazzy and glossy like all the other icons and while they did have a 3D effect in a way, they were always classy and sedate. So in pursuit of this "anti-3D" thing they've changed these cool, effective, sedate icons into junky jazzy ones with unfortunate colours and cryptic symbols that don't seem to mean anything at all.

I'm in favour of the new flat(ish) look, but these "grey" icons could all have co-existed with that just fine. Sure, get rid of the gloss highlight, and the silly line texture that Steve Jobs loved so much. Get rid of the skeuomorphic interfaces. Get rid of the faux leather too. But there is no reason to change these particular icons IMO.

Both the camera icon, and the Settings icon in particular are a net loss in that they have lost meaning and identifiability. Instead of looking like the camera on the back of the phone, it now looks like an old school SLR, which many people won't even recognise. They might as well have a files app with a floppy disk on the icon. The settings icon is obvious now, but it's changing to some random symbol that means nothing at all.

When you base a decision on dogma, you are almost always making a mistake.

Your headline refers to the homescreen, but really what's at issue here is the icons. The new app icons and their loud color choices are what people really mean when they talk about loving or hating the new interface. We have no experience with the new setup other than what the icons look like! Personally I find these new icons shockingly amateurish. I realize it's a beta but it's still hard to believe they were ever shown to the public in this state; I've already seen professional designers post their tweaked and refined versions which are substantially better with only one or two nights extra work! We know Apple will probably get it right eventually but they underestimate the impact of a bad first impression when it could have been avoided so easily.

Personally I like the icons. I think it's a fun refresh to something that was a tad outdated. Yea I was really worried with the rumors floating about. I pictured everything boring and colorless. But I'm very happy to say I was wrong. It's very funny though how there were so so sooooooo many people on here for over a month saying the dreaded skeumorphism had to go. That it was outdated and things like notes and Game Center needed a drastic change. And now they "ran out of green felt" and everyone still isn't pleased.

Where I'm not happy is the lack of features. Rene always says that iOS and Harward run on tic toc cycles. And this was a toc cycle for iOS. I was expecting 10 major tent poles like we got in iOS 5. That was feature after feature that people were getting excited about. But all this was "look how good everything looks" and "look at all the new colors and designs to the app" and though that was a big part of what we were expecting to hear and see, it shouldn't have been the MAIN thing. The biggest tent pole we got was control panel. And I agree with someone else who said that at least let us arrange the icons any place on the screen. Or those actionable notifications. We got them in mavericks apparently. You mean even though with the big shake up that happened and one guy now charge of software all around, he didn't think to put a feature he had in one OS to the other? That's a tad sad.

But the icons don't bother me. They look nice and needed a refresh. Where we all should be upset is that lack of features. That's where the real out cry should be.

Isn't it possible though that some of these features could be things that they are saving for the iPhone 5S. Think of how Siri, while all software, was a differentiating factor (along with the camera) between two otherwise identical looking devices? Isn't it possible that, say, "actionable notifications" are a software feature that's coming, but will be exclusive to the 5S? As someone with a 4S contract that's expiring any day now, I'm still holding out hope.

Don't like the icons or simple apps with no distinction to items. Notes looks worse than io6, same with Game Center and. Couple others. The rainbow pack of colors on the default icons looks awful. Honestly, looks half finished and by a user who doesn't know photoshop techniques, so just made the items bare and called it flat. Also, the new Flat Dock background is just ugly.

I absolutely love the new UI. So glad to see the old dated ugly things go away. The stitching and linens were awful. Some of the icons could use a little work but I'm betting apple will make some changes before its final.

I'm really not as much into the "cosmetics". As some one who has had numerous jail broken iPhones it looks like an "ok" theme you'd see on Cydia. My biggest problem with all the icons having the same color "palette" is when you download App Store apps and mix in all their icons it won't matter anymore. What I wish apple would have done is created a way to do themes like on Cydia. That would have been cool. To be able to theme ALL my icons. Not just the stock ones.

I'm excited to try something new. I like the new features, especially control center. The colors are a little much, It could be toned down a bit. Glad I won't be getting the 5s because if I really hate it, may give key lime pie a go. (I really hope I fall in love with it)

I'm stuck somewhere in between a love/hate relationship. I'm not completely sold but I'm not completely against updating either. Been using the iOS 7 beta and getting to actually USE the software rather than watching videos, looking at pictures, etc. I think it will help ease a few above users worries.

But I do agree: I think the icons are a little cheesy/cartoonish for my liking, especially since Apple has always been know for its clean and sleek looks. I think the actually look is geared more towards a female audience and/or users with the white iPhone (if you noticed each photo, video, etc. on Apple's website uses a white iPhone rather than the black 5). The translucency is actually a nice touch but I HATE the new font/text. It's nearly impossible to read in some areas and feels a little cheap to look at. I need a heavier typeface for sure.

Anyways, functionality wise, it's a complete revamp and some features take a little time getting used to, but everything should pretty much come naturally. But there really is no need for us to cry over the features just yet... we have until fall for Apple to hear us out once more and add these new touches to make iOS 7 truly awesome!

The color and icons are personal preference. I don't really care. I don't like the colors at all, but whatever. I was hoping for more functionality. Actionable notifications. Notifications that don't block the screen. Customizable control center.

The problems with polls like this is most people who vote have only seen a video or still shots if you actually install it on your device and check it out you might have a different opinion as I did. Initially thought, hmm not too sure but it looks better and more depth when you see it in person which pleasantly surprised me. Still have some work to do in some areas though but it's a beta and may or may not change visually.

I really like the overall design of the home screen, but the icons could definitely use some work.

The biggest complaint I have is folders. The folders are terrible- they only show nine icons per page (less than they do in iOS 6) and they have so much wasted space at the top and bottom of the screen. Hopefully Apple changes this before the general release.

Installed it tonight on my 4s. Overall I don't think it's bad. I don't mind the icons so much. Game Center looks nice but I don't get the bubbles for that specific icon. Folders could be a tad darker I think or maybe even more transparent. I have mixed feelings about the dock. I think it should be a bit smaller. The parallax effect is pretty awesome. And I know this is not related to the home screen but I feel theres is just too much white going in in messaging and mail. They should tone that down a bit.

I am most curious what it the experience using iOS 7 will be like on an iPad (full size). I can see how the bold look could work just fine on a smaller screen like an iPhone or even an iPad mini but all those bright bold colors and harsh white screens on a big display may not work as well. The great thing about an iPad is the big touchscreen that can show so much more detail. But with an iOS that is about less detail, by design, it may be a bust on a larger screen.

I'm a Windows Phone guy and don't really like Apple, but I really like iOS 7. Put it on my brother's phone and he loves it, except that it is slow and has a lot of issues (like Push Notifications and iMessage don't work anymore).

The poll results show that actually there isn't much debate - most people like it. There is perhaps more debate over smaller elements, like why the icon for game centre looks too similar to the icon for photos

I installed it and played with it for a few days. This is a Beta so I know things are unfinished, however, I feel that there was a lot of good AND bad. I like the Auxo-like change to app management. I like the removal of the search screen and its replacement with a pull-down gesture. I like the swipe up and down options. Really liked the email changes.

What I don't like, and I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, is the flattening of the UI. A certain amount of flattening is ok. I can deal with the removal of skeuomorphism, but don't make the apps ugly.

Overall I think it is a good change and I am certain that most users will be happy with the changes. For the time being though, I moved back to iOS 6.1.4 on my iPhone.

I love most all the features especially the Control Center. I have been wanting that without jail breaking since my first iPhone. The flat UI though I am not really in love with. I love Apple products because of those beautiful icons. I hope OS/X 10.9 doesn't go that way because I am very excited about the features in it.

It's awesome that when the new ios7 comes out its going to be like we're getting a brand new phone because anyone who's gone from a 4s to a 5 knows it was awsome and everything the bigger screen faster speeds but u couldn't help but feel like u just got the same phone . At least with the new iOS it completes that feeling of a whole new phone

I’m confused. Most of the responses seem to be talking about the icons or wallpaper instead of the home screen itself. It looks like there are minimal changes from what we’ve had in the past. I’m happy with the new look of the dock, but that’s not something I really notice when using my phone.

The real differences with the home screen will take actually using it to have much of an opinion about. Does the parallax add to or distract from its use? How have folders changed?

They've copied android, badly. There are million of apps on the play store that allow this feature. Half of them do it better (gyro space 3d). Also this is still only a slight change and even when they only do make a slight change fanboys seem to go mental about it.

You know gyro space 3d does it better? So you've used the ios BETA enough to draw that conclusion? Or is this based off of what you saw in a keynote that was still in beta? Hmm seems like the android fanboy jumped the gun on his comment... And go mental about it? So someone who owns a product isn't allowed to get excited about an update without a hater like you jumping down their throat. Please sir, go home.

Its funny you should say that because I actually own an iPhone 4 running ios 7 as well as my nexus 7 running jelly bean 4.2.1 So 1. Am making an informed conclusion and 2. Why are you acting liked I just stabbed your parents (BTW I did) I didn't offend you I just pointed out that this software does already exist and that's why people shouldn't pull their hair out over it.

I really like the interface there are just two or three native icons that I think are butt ugly. It's not released yet still in beta so who knows a miracle could happen and the icons get redesigned. At the end of the day two or three icons wont stop me from using the OS and the benefits totally outweigh the few icons I don't like looking at.

I have had an iPhone 4 for one and a half year and now own iPhone 4s which i am using for an year. I have always loved the incredible depth and beauty of iOS, to be honest i am a true fan of apple skeuomorphism. I just hate the iOS 7 home screen without any shadows. I liked the old notes app i liked the old reminders and i am IN LOVE with iBooks. iOS 6 is very beautiful, integrated and fluid. This whole experience was what differentiated apple from the competition. iOS 7 feels very neat and beautiful and specially shiny new, but somethings are just plain bad and ugly, i dont like the new notes and reminders apps, and i specially hate the homescreen without any sort of depth.

After this iPhone i might switch to Galaxy S4, if my budget allows coz i am a middle class student living in PAKISTAN. I wont update my macbook air and iPhone 4s as long as i use them

Please comment if u agree or disagree and to what extent
i want to know is there anyone else who loves the old skeuomorphism iOS like me, the shadows the depth
long live iOS 6 (at least for me)

If you're a fan of skeumorphics then what skeumorphics does the galaxy give you? I personally I like both. iOS 6 or iOS 7, doesn't matter they both are cool in their own way. Same thing with android and windows phone. I really don't dislike any of them.

Personally I think that android offers allot more customisation. Including the look and feel off the is. But if you do go for android look into a stock android device such as the nexus 4 (great phone) and the galaxy s4 Google edition (USA only(fornow))

The only thing that would make it better for me would be the addition of a couple of widgets like daily agenda and weather. How tough it is to incorporate widgets into iOS? I love at-a-glance widgets. Imagine the new home screen with a couple of 1x4 or 2x4 widgets. I would be completely satisfied since the other features that I miss from Android are being incorporated into iOS 7.

I now see how intelligence is a scarce commodity! Its definitely worth more than a billion iPhones or Apple company because every dimwit here cant see its the SAME goddamn IOS. Sure they change up the colors add transparency and a dynamic background and a few other things JB iphones can do but the way you operate the device remains the same. APPS for every little action. Heck you cant arrange them how you want w/o JB because they must full the top of the screen before the bottom. No leaving empty spots and pages to look at your cool new background! What has really changed besides a few new features from android and jb community? Absolutely nothing.